


(i) want a long rest

by ObscureReference



Series: immortal trio au [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Blood and Injury, Gen, Immortality, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 16:45:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12821748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: When he had sufficiently prepared himself to try again—the prep for which mostly consisted of squeezing his eyes shut and trying not to cry—he opened his eyes again and looked down.The arrow embedded in his side explained a lot.





	(i) want a long rest

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll do more with this later? Maybe not? Something I wrote late at night.

Odin opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. There was a pain in his side like someone had strung barb wire under his skin, and searing sunlight did his throbbing headache no favors. It hurt to swallow. No doubt he was dehydrated. The air felt overly warm.

When he had sufficiently prepared himself to try again—the prep for which mostly consisted of squeezing his eyes shut and trying not to cry—he opened his eyes again and looked down.

The arrow embedded in his side explained a lot.

“Shit,” he said.

It was deep. Very deep. There was more wood hidden in blood and skin than there was sticking out of him. And it _hurt_. It hurt so, so badly, to the point it was difficult to think of anything else. The arrow had pierced something vital for sure. It was the kind of wound that would almost certainly kill him.

For all Odin knew, it _had_ killed him.

He gathered his strength and raised his shaking hands. Gods above, it hurt to move and it was _agony_ to wrap his fingers around the shaft of the arrow. Fresh blood pulsed from the wound as his muscles spasmed in pain. He didn’t know where he was or who was around; the tree line in front of him was motionless and an outcropping of rocks behind his head both kept him hidden from prying eyes and kept him from looking around without standing up.

So he sucked in his cheek and bit the inside of his mouth until it bled to keep from screaming as he pulled the arrow from his side.

Removing any object from a wound was a bad idea. He remembered that much from his mother’s lessons in basic medicine. Removing the object would cause more bleeding, he knew. But he didn’t have much of a choice now. It wasn’t like he could stand with the arrow in him.

It took a thousand years to pry the arrow from his side. He was lucky the arrowhead hadn’t fallen from the shaft and lodged itself inside him. He was doubly lucky the arrow hadn’t hit a few inches higher, catching him between the ribs. It would have been almost impossible to remove on his own then.

But he did it. Eventually, the arrow came out.

Odin dropped the arrow into the grass with shaking hands. He pressed his palms flat against his wound, barely able to keep himself from groaning. There was an immediate surge of pain when the arrow was removed, a fresh burst of agony, and then it ebbed. The wound still stung terribly, but not nearly as badly as with the arrow still inside.

He didn’t like arrows. They were effective tools, sure, and he admired those with the competency to use them, but they were by far Odin’s least favorite weapons. They reminded him too much of bad times. They reminded him of his father and their last moments together—how it must have felt to be shot through the back the way his father had.

No, he didn’t like arrows at all.

The wound at his side itched. The skin had begun to knit itself back together.

He laid there, panting, for who knew how long. Until he was certain nothing would split or fall out or move the wrong way when he stood, certainly. He couldn’t count the time that passed while he waited. He had no idea how long he’d been unconscious already.

When the itching in his skin died down and the throbbing in his side faded to a dull ache, he stood.

It was hard. He had to use the outcropping of rocks for support and cut his palm open on the stone for his troubles. Once he was standing, however, things became much easier. His legs found solid purchase. The tremors subsided. He steadied himself with a breath and took his first steps.

 

 

 

It took forever and a day to find the camp and even longer to find Lord Leo. Odin would have much rather ducked into his tent for a change of clothes and a nap first, but duty required him to report to his lord after a battle. If anybody saw him and reported him later, there would be some questions at the very least. And judging from the angle of the sun, it had been several hours since he’d last seen Lord Leo. He hoped his absence hadn’t been too suspicious.

He found Lord Leo in his tent, of course. Odin knocked on one of the poles in greeting and only refrained from politely announcing himself because Lord Leo was conversing with a messenger when Odin ducked in.

His courtesy was rather pointless, however, as Lord Leo waved the messenger away upon spotting Odin.

“Oh, no, my lord,” Odin said. “I have nothing urgent to report at this time. Please, feel free to—”

Lord Leo furrowed his brow and glanced at the messenger. “You are dismissed,” he repeated.

The messenger nodded and left. Odin was too tired to protest or put on any pretenses.

Lord Leo looked… good, Odin decided. Unharmed, and that was as good as things got on the battlefield. A bit of tension he hadn’t realized he was carrying finally relaxed.

The first words out of Lord Leo’s mouth that were directed at Odin were, “Are you alright?”

Odin smiled grimly. Lord Leo definitely had a soft side, no matter what those less familiar with the youngest Nohr prince would say.

“Of course,” Odin lied. “Never better.”

Lord Leo looked doubtful.

“You took quite a while to report back to me,” he said. “I had almost thought…”

Lord Leo hesitated, and Odin took the opportunity to jump in with, “I would never abandon you without proper notice, my lord. I was simply slowed down a bit.” He straightened, trying to appear healthier than he felt. “Nothing can deter Odin Dark for long, of course.”

“I can see that,” Lord Leo said slowly.

Odin wondered for a moment how Laslow and Selena had faired before quickly deciding they would be just fine in the end either way. Physically, at least. He hoped they hadn’t needed to pull anything out of themselves like he had. That was always the worst.

There had been a time when such an idea had been novel and unthinkable. Now the idea of immortality was just exhausting.

Promises to dragons were near impossible things. But a promise was a promise in the end either way.

He mentally sighed.

“Odin?” Lord Leo repeated, looking concerned. “Should I fetch a cleric?”

“No, that’s not necessary,” Odin quickly assured him. “I’m quite alright.”

He even threw in a smile for good measure. Lord Leo did not look very reassured.

“What exactly happened out there?” he asked. “Something unusual?”

“Ah.” Odin was struggling to come up with a good lie. His mind was still rather fuzzy and still focused more on the dryness of his throat than the necessity of appearances. “To be honest, I don’t quite remember, my lord.”

It wasn’t as though he could simply say _I was shot with an arrow and died for a while, but I’m fine now._ That was more trouble than it was worth.

“There’s blood on your clothes,” Lord Leo observed, and Odin blocked his watchful look by placing a hand over the tear in his clothes. His shirt was bloody, yes, but the tear wasn’t large and hardly noticeable amongst the rest of the chaos. “Did you hit your head?”

Odin didn’t think there was any blood on his face. He rubbed at his forehead absently to make sure and found only a smudge of dirt.

“None of it mine, I assure you.” Odin winked playfully. “I’ll have you know that the dark miasma surrounding my every move on the battlefield also doubles as a shield. No villain can get a finger past that barrier.”

It wasn’t his best work, but Odin wasn’t feeling his best overall. Lord Leo didn’t look very assured, though he looked somewhat less ready to jump up and call for a healer at any moment, which was progress at the very least.

“If you’re sure,” Lord Leo said slowly.

Odin thought about how welcoming his bedroll would be when he laid down tonight.

“Nothing unusual happened this battle,” he reported. “A few stragglers near the end, but nothing of note. Do you have any errands for me, my lord?”

He waited to be dismissed.

“No, nothing of importance,” Lord Leo said, which was a miracle among miracles. Or perhaps Lord Leo could just see how tired he felt. He wasn’t blind, after all. “I shall see you after dinner for a more in-depth report of today’s battle and a discussion of future strategy. For now you may take your leave.”

Odin couldn’t keep his shoulders from sagging at the dismissal. He was so, so, _so_ tired.

He nodded. “Thank you, my lord.”

“And Odin?” Lord Leo added just as Odin turned away, one foot outside the tent already.

Odin turned back, his hand instinctively covering up the hole in his shirt where his wound had once been. The skin felt almost entirely smooth now. It would perhaps be red and raw until tomorrow, but there was nothing to say he’d been impaled but a few scant minutes ago.

“Yes?”

Lord Leo hesitated for a half second. Or that might have been Odin’s imagination.

“Take care of yourself,” Lord Leo said after a moment. He looked like he wanted to say more but refrained.

After another beat of silence, Odin nodded, and this time his tiny smile was genuine. It was nice to know people cared, even when they had no real reason worry anymore. Not that they knew that.

“Always, my lord,” Odin said.

And with that he took his leave.

**Author's Note:**

> A world in which Selena, Laslow, and Odin have immortality thrust upon them, whether they want it or not. Because defeating a dragon isn't easy, but it gets easier when your life is tied to the dragon's.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below or hit me up on my [tumblr!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/)


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